The Collinsport Chronicles XLII: The other Roxanne
by Maryland Rose
Summary: Roxanne Drew from Parallel Time comes to Collinsport looking for Barnabas. She finds that he has not waited for her. She has become hard in the struggle back home, and killing comes naturally to her. Fortunately, Barnabas' friends step in before it gets serious.
1. Chapter 1

Vassily Petofi is dead, and those kidnapped have been rescued. They find now themselves responsible for a large amount of miniaturized people inside the magic egg, making them self-suficient, giving them a working self-government and preparing them to be assimilated into U.S. society.

* * *

THE OTHER ROXANNE

Chapter 1

"Back to normal life" Barnabas said, while going over the mail that Vicky had been taking care of. "I see that you sent money to all of these."

"I thought it best... I know that you like to contribute."

"You did well. And thanks for taking care of the cats after George and Urien were taken."

"It was not much..."

"It was all that you could do."

"I would like to apologize to Megan for the things I said.'"

"For what, helping her to maintain the illusion she set up for Petofi? No, she was grateful to you. And she will want to apologize later to Phillip for the way she manhandled him... She did not believe it was him. She thought it was an illusion of Petofi. She was shaken though, that he could trace her. "

"Well, she used a word that she had used often with him. She thought that she was safe using it because the only one who knew what it meant was dead... "

"In any case, now she knows what not to do the next time she wants to disappear."

"Will you want to disappear one day?"

"Not for a while, Vicky, I am very comfortable here. Moving out might be too much of a strain. Would have to start making new friends, creating a small community... I am not looking forward to leaving Collinsport." he looked at the letters that she had set aside for him to look. "I will want to contact these organizations that deal with refugees and asylum for illegal aliens. I do not know how much credit I have with them, but any way I can get help from the it will be useful.. As George said, I should cash all the chips I have with them to get resources for the people in the egg."

"Are they really there? All those people?"

"Yes. And the plan is to teach them to survive in the U.S. so that they can move out."

Vicky shook her head. "If they had told me in 1966 what would be waiting for me in Collinsport, I might not have taken the job at all."

"And never met any of us?"

"Some of you I would miss... Others, well."

"I hope that I am among those you would miss."

* * *

"How's Derek?", Julia asked Kenneth

"I can do little for his knee. I think that he will limp for the rest of his life. "

"At least they got him out before the whip could do more damage."

"Yes. It could have been much worse. Why were they going to execute him for?"

'He killed Sebastian Shaw."

"Sebastian, the psychic?"

"He had turned informer. He could have betrayed the plan that Howard and the others were hatching... Derek took matters in his own hands."

"If that is true, he saved them all."

"Yes. And they had not even let him in the secret... They did not trust his judgment."

"And he turned to be the hero, after all."

* * *

"Why didn't you let me know?' Megan asked Howard.

"You might have told the others."

"I would not!"

"Megan, I saw the man who testified against me. I saw his face, I saw what his memories did to him...I knew that he would do anything, _anything_ to keep it from happening again. I know that feeling, that determination. And I wondered how much you know of what he was afraid of... If you could be as frightened as he was."

"I would never...:"

"Megan, Vassily Petofi was a sorcerer of the same stripe of those who enslaved vampires. He said as much to Barnabas, that vampires made troublesome slaves... And you know what Petofi did to him... You have every right to be afraid of being enslaved, and to protect yourself any way you could... Let's say I thought better not to tempt you."

"It was not fair to me."

"No, but you could survive it. I might not, if I gambled on you and lost."

"Did you know that you were going to escape when you were tried?"

"No. Barnabas thought it would be better that I did not know. In case it did not work... He took the risk for Julia's sake. For my part, all I wanted was for it to end quickly."

'How was it done?"

"You'll have to talk to Barnabas about it. He was the one who set it up. As for myself, when I looked straight at that crossbow, I was sure that it was the end."

"Was Angelique in on it?"

"Not that I knew."

But of course, Angelique was in on it. She was the one with the power and the knowledge to do it. And probably her price for it was for Richard not to contact her at all...

Angelique was still quite jealous still, though her methods were more benevolent now...

* * *

"My leg can't be fixed." Derek said matter-of-factly to George. "Dr. Anderson said that I will have to live with it."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be. I am alive. And I am going to be Secretary of Special Education. or whatever. You know, like the Lord High Executioner."

"Lord High Executioner?"

"You know the song?" he sang it, a bit out of tune. "Taken from the county jail/ by a set of curious chances/ liberated then on bail/' on my own recognizance/ lifted by a favorite gale/ as one sometimes is in trances/ to a height that few can scale/ save by long and weary dances/ Surely rarely has a male/ under such like circumstances/ so adventurous a tale/ which may rank with most romances."

George laughed with this. "Yes, you are right. I did not know that you liked Gilbert and Sullivan, though."

"I am full of surprises, am I not?'

"Seriously now, what do you think of the situation? About the egg being restored on a temporary basis?"

"Howard might want to make it permanent."

"I am aware of it. And why he would want it so."

"His intentions are good, but... but he needs someone to keep and eye on him and keep him honest."

"And you are volunteering for the job."

"Yes.. As your deputy... you know, Howard may be counting on the people outside to forget somehow. We must not allow that to happen. Those people deserve better than being guinea pigs for Howard's idealism, not matter how well meant."

* * *

Dr. Taft studied Angelique. He had to find a way to word it carefully, and still there was no telling how she might take it.

He had announced the pregnancy of many women, and most of them had been overjoyed. And the ones who had not been, still had been accepting and had come to love the growing child later. But Angelique... he doubted that a baby entered in her plans, and as to how she might react...

"Well, doctor?" she pressed him.

He decided to bite the bullet. "You are pregnant, Mrs. Rumsen."

"Pregnant?" Angelique shouted this "Are you sure of it?"

"Very, very sure."

"How could it happen?"

But she knew the answer to that. It was for this that Vassily Petofi had had her mated with George on a daily basis. Vassily Petofi was dead, but the deed was done, and she was now carrying George's baby.

"What am I going to do?"

"You could notify the father... and if you need help.." Taft sounded of skeptical of Angelique needing help.

"The father is George Brant."

"But Brant... he... he does not go for women."

"He did not go for getting whipped, either. In any case, the child is his."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Angelique worried about Megan. Too many shocks for her. First find out that Phillip was alive and back in Victoria's loving arms. Then finding out that Richard was alive.

Not that she worried too much about Megan going for Richard again. For her it had been a highly romantic situation, straight out of an Alexander Dumas novel. But still...

Still, she would know that she, Angelique had deceived her.

And now, on top of everything, she had to tell her that she was going to be an aunt. Or a mother, or a father... or whatever... that they soon might be raising a baby.

* * *

Roger pouted in his room.

"He'll just have to accept the fact that we are married." Carolyn said.

"He has to." Adam said. "We can't let him dictate our lives."

"I know that."

"I know how it sounds. But you were planning to have him committed just before he disappeared."

"And he found out about it, and ran away."

"He did not. He was kidnapped, like the rest of them. What you had decided had nothing to do with it."

Carolyn did not answer.

"You said it yourself, that you had bribed the doctor who first treated him to have him released him before he was ready, and that you blamed yourself for it."

"That is in the past."

"Carolyn, he tried to kill me once.. He may try again. Or he might try to run away with Edmund. He did it before."

"I believe that if I talk to him, he will come to accept it."

"You know better than that. You know that no one can reason with Roger. Tell me, how many messes of him did you have to fix?"

'Most of the time he is under control"

"And what happens when he is not? You know that neither you nor anyone can predict what Roger can do. He hates me. He thinks that I am not good enough to marry into the Collins family, and he will protect the family name, even if he has to kill me for it."

"You don't want him at all, that's all there is to it. And you'd love to get rid of Edmund too, if you were to tell the truth."

There is was, their first major marital fight. Adam sighed. And it would not be resolved, not unless there was another crisis.

His own relationship with Edmund was less than ideal, but he thought that they had begun to bond in Roger's absence. But once Roger got there, he started turning Edmund against Adam...

"It isn't just me, Carolyn. Everybody in town says it. Ask Dr. Hoffman."

"My, my, you suddenly care for what Julia thinks. What next? You'll want me to take Barnabas' advice because you admire him so much?"

* * *

"Will Peter be all right?" Iris asked Julia.

"He's free of Vassily and Nastassia's influence. That will help a lot."

"But he will not be wholly all right."

"Not immediately... He had problems before he found the egg. Those problems remain. They were getting better, but better is not the same as healed."

"How much longer?' She almost wailed this, as if she already knew how discouraging Julia's answer could be.

"I would not give up on him, if I were you. David Collins also had a lot of problems, but now he's all right. He is even married, and a father now."

Iris began to weep. "I failed him,"

"I would not say that. It is a big job you got on your shoulders and Peter's past history should discourage any easy enthusiasms. But it can be done, if you are willing to work at it."

"I never suspected that it was going on..."

"Or maybe you did, and Vassily made you forget about it."

"If I had not been so busy drinking and picking up men, I would have seen.."

Julia shook her head. "You were in Vassily's power, same as Peter. Do you think that he'd have allowed you to interfere?"

But still Iris insisted in crippling herself with guilt.

And guilt could be thoroughly crippling. Julia knew a few things about that herself.

* * *

"I am going to have a child." George said, musingly.

"No," Angelique corrected him. "I am going to have a child."

"Whichever way." George emptied his glass, refilled it, and emptied it again. "It is mine, isn't it?"

"Vassily bred me only to you."

"I am not doubting you. It is just that... I never thought I'd have the chance to have child of my own. Sure, I am a donor at the sperm bank, but that means nothing... I thought at times to adopt. But to get a woman pregnant... never in my wildest dreams."

"Well, you did it. Or rather you were forced into it."

George sat down to digest it. "I wonder what it will be like?""

"Do you want the child?"

"Of course."

"You did not want it when we were doing it."

"I did not want a child for what they had in mind. And neither did you. We both knew that Vassily Petofi wanted more slaves, and we were supposed to produce them... But this child will be born in freedom... What about you? Do _you_ want the child?"

"I am not so sure. The way I live... well, you know that I could not convince anyone that I am parent material. And yet, it is _my_ baby."

"Of course, my doing the decent thing is out of the question."

"I have no desire to marry you."

"No." he laughed. "Of all your husbands, I would be the most ridiculous. But I like some legal claim on the child... I wonder how Barnabas will take it... His wife and his lover having a child together... Some triangle...It might make him jealous."

"He knows how it was conceived, doesn't he?"

"No., he'd be jealous because in his condition he cannot father any children."

"He's got Tammy. And other bastards that he never bothered to track down."

George rubbed his face nervously. "Look, Angelique. I'll look into the legal aspects of it. I don't want if you want to raise the baby or not, but if you don't I'll be glad do. If you do, I will be part of his or her life."

"It may put a strain between you and Barnabas. And you may not be thrilled to have a vampire under the same roof with your baby. You love Barnabas, you trust him. But your baby is your baby."

"You'll have the same problem with Megan."

"True... But she has more self-control than Barnabas."

"There is always the first time."

"So it seems that either the baby will have two Daddies or two Mommies. And one of those Mommies or one of those Daddies needs to sleep in a coffin during the day... Some upbringing that will turn out to be."

"What a mess." he agreed. "But still we will raise him or her as best we can."

* * *

Roxanne stepped out of the changing room. She had not truly believe that the day would come when she would be able to do this. The day when the battles were over and she would be free go seek Barnabas.

Yet it had happened. The collapse of the dictatorship had come sooner than they had dared to hope. The dictatorship had fallen and now was the time to rebuild the institutions. Her usefulness was over. What need did the country have of a vampire assassin"? Men like Dr. Blair could be of use. Not her.

She was free. And Barnabas was free. She would be able at last to put the nightmare years behind. She would be able to laugh, hope, and love.

She walked down the halls silently. Yes, the house was Collinwood, but it was different. This one had not burned down, and thus there had been no need to rebuild it. The furniture, the decorations were not as she had known them. She was not sure that she recognized the paintings on the walls, and she did not approve of their taste. She figured that many of them were family heirlooms, which had to be put up no matter how hideous.

She hoped that this _was_ the Parallel Time where Barnabas was.

If not, she would keep trying the changing room over and over.

Downstairs, she faced Barnabas' portrait.

"Yes, you are Barnabas" she said. "But are you my Barnabas?"

Buffy Harrington, she thought. And Edmund. If they were here, then she'd come to the right place. She had to find out about them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Tell me, doctor, what do you think of Roger?" Adam asked.

Julia knew that the problem had to be serious for Adam to come to her. She knew that she was not one of his favorite people and would never be. Yet, there he was, asking for help.

Well, he had thought before that he could manage on his own. So had Delia, once, and how had it ended for her?"

"I think that he needs treatment."

"I knew it! But I can't convince Carolyn of it. She does now want to do anything about it."

"I take it that it puts a strain on your marriage."

"Yes. It does. She accuses me of things that are partly true."

"Like..?"

"That I don't like Edmund. I want to like the kid. I tried to befriend him, and was getting somewhere... But then Roger comes and badmouths me, and Edmund believes him... and so the kid hates me now, because I am mean to Uncle Roger."

"I can see the problem."

"And frankly, it is harder for me to try to bond with the kid when I spend my time worrying how he is going to try to murder me next. We said that it was an accident when that old pistol blew up, but it was not... Carolyn said that he would put him away, then. But then he disappears, and she feels so guilty about it, even if she had nothing to do with it, that now there is no chance of Roger getting treatment."

"I take it that you want me to talk to Carolyn."

"She may listen to you."

* * *

"You seem changed," Carolyn said to Quentin. You seem so much better."

"Thank you. I am glad that you think so."

"I don't know how you did it, but the change is amazing."

"Well, I had a lot of growing up to do, but I finally did it."

"I am almost sorry that I let you go."

"Well, if you hadn't, you and Adam would have never married."

"Yes." Carolyn said, a bit sourly. " we would never have."

Quentin studied her. "What's the matter? Are you having problems?"

"No, not really. And anyway, why would that be of interest to you?"

"I care about Adam. And you and I were married once."

"It wasn't much of a marriage."

"Still, I have a fondness for you."

Carolyn looked at him amused. "So now that we are no longer married you find me attractive? All that time we were married not even once you tried to sneak into my bed."

"I was told you did not want me there. That you did not want any werewolf inheritance on your children."

Too late he realized that he should have bit his tongue, What call did he have to remind her that she was now sterile?

"You did not even try!"

He shrugged.

"You never wondered what I might be like in bed?" she asked, peevishly.

"I was too busy wondering what your retaliation would be if I tried."

"And you do not wonder about it now?"

"You are married to a friend of mine."

"As if that had stopped you before."

"No, Carolyn.." he backed away. I am sorry that you and Adam are having problems, but having an affair with me will not solve it... You have to do something about Roger."

"Who are you to tell me that?"

"I am one of those that Roger tried killing once. I survived, and Adam survived until now. Bur one day Roger will get lucky. You have to handle him, Carolyn. Do not commit him if you don't want to. But he can be an outpatient and take medication.."

* * *

It looked the right place, Roxanne though. There was a Barnabas Collins here who was a vampire. She had heard of an Edmund Collins, who they said, had been adopted by Carolyn.

She had also heard about a Buffy Torrance who used to be Buffy Harrington, and who had come with Barnabas from someplace... weird.

Barnabas was not in town. Seems that he had a job out of town and was there now. Maybe she should be there.

But before that she should see Buffy, and get the information she needed out of her.

Torrance her name was. She could find her address from the phone directory.

* * *

"I still feel bad about it." Willie confessed.

"But what could you have done?" Louella asked, reasonably.

"Not much, I agree... but still... they kidnapped them under our noses and we did not care, not as long as it wasn't us... Dammit, when Barnabas tried to kill Maggie I tried to warn her."

"And got nearly killed for it."

"At least I tried."

"You tried to. You tried to summon Eliot Stokes."

"And botched it. Because my old man showed up, and I could not resist the temptation to tell him what I thought of him... If it wasn't for that..."

"Still, you probably would have gotten nowhere. It was in Megan's and Angelique's hands. Anything that you could have done would have made it worse."

"Still. I was glad to be out of it... I told myself that I had other responsibilities, that Pearl needed me..."

"And she does... You know that no one blames you for not being able to do more. "

"George Brant tried."

"And it did not work so well... Well, yes in the end it did. But Brant did not ask you to come join him. And he must have had a good reason not to."

Willie just sighed again.

* * *

Buffy hung up the phone. The person at the other end... she sounded familiar... someone she had not met in a while.

Could it be..?

Known from a while ago. No one from the Collinsport here...

Then the knock at the door came, and when she opened it, it was Roxanne.

"Roxanne!" she said.

"I see that you recognize me. I have come to the right place after all."

"You here?"

"I used the changing room. Same as you.."

Roxanne came in and sat on the sofa "So you are married now?"

"Married and I have a child." she suddenly paled, remembering what Roxanne was. Roxanne saw it and sighed. "I have no designs on your child. I do not attack children. I am not going to start now."

"Thanks."

"So now you are a respectable wife and mother."

"Yes. And I am improving myself. I am taking adult education classes. I am learning how to use a computer, and other things. Victoria... I mean our Victoria's counterpart says that I might become a substitute teacher... she needs people to help what with more students coming in."

"So, you are well on the road to middle-class respectability."

"Yes. What about you, How are things there?"

"We won." Roxanne said simply "It took some doing, but we did it. There is a provisional government, and Dr. Blair is in it. He can do a lot of good there."

"And you?"

"I suspect that they do not need a vampire assassin. So I told everyone goodbye and came here... Ah, by the way, I executed Chris Collins before I came. I owed it to Quentin."

Buffy shivered... Chris had deserved it, but the matter of fact way that Roxanne said it... So cold blooded.

"I do not know who will inherit Collinwood, what with Chris dead with no children, with Edmund declared dead... I can imagine they will find a distant relative... And then Dr. Blair might want to put a children's home there, too...Well, not my problem."

"I see."

"I heard that Carolyn has adopted a child named Edmund."

"Yes. Quentin's son. She adopted him. Seems that she cannot have children of her own, and Edmund is a Collins, after all. She was married to a Quentin here, who claimed to be the father, to be able to claim him from Barnabas... So, he now is the heir to Collinwood. Seems that the cousin, David, was disinherited after the was found to be dealing drugs..."

'And Barnabas?"

"He is not here now. He works at Wyncliffe, a mental institution. He is a therapist there. He puts to good use his ability to enter the minds of those whose blood he takes.."

"So he makes it work for him... Does he remember me?"

"Uh... Roxanne... there is something"

"What is it?"

'He...he is no longer unattached."

"What you mean?"

"He thought that he would never see you again..."

"So he replaced me? Who is it?" She got up menacingly.

"He... he.."

Roxanne grabbed her and made her stare into her eyes. "Tell me who is the woman who took him from me."

"Not a woman... a man.. the sheriff."

"A man!" Roxanne pushed Buffy away, angrily. "How could he do this to me?"

"Roxanne! Wait!"

Roxanne had vanished. Buffy raced to the phone. Call George, warning him... Better yet, call Megan and Angelique, telling her tom come protect George...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I would like to work for you." Amy told Megan.

"Why?"

"Because I know that I can be of use to you. We worked well together, you and I."

"Yes, you did."

"I also knew enough to steal that silvery powder for you."

"That is true."

"So, I should work for you."

Megan sighed. "It is no longer my agency, it is Tammy's and Joe's. They might be interested in hiring you. But if I was you, I'd make myself established as a card reader, and polish my skills there. That will make you a resource to them, and they will be willing to pay you what you ask. It will be tough at first, and you may have to take other jobs to pay the rent... You can write for the paper, while you establish yourself..."

Amy did not look very convinced, but she wanted to make sure that Amy did not see her as a ticket to a good job. She should work at it..

It was then that the telephone rang.

"Buffy Torrance?' she recognized the frantic voice. "what's wrong?"

"She is going to kill George Brant! "

"Who?"

"You have to stop her!"

* * *

He was going to be a father, George thought. Him and Angelique had done it.

He was going to have a child by Barnabas's ex-wife...

It was true. In a few moths there would be a little baby that he would take in his arms... In a few months he would have that responsibility...

And Barnabas... would he love the baby too? Would he too want to raise it?

If Angelique did not want it, and she might not, he would be glad to raise it.

He did not hear the beating of wings outside. Did not see her come in until she stood in front of his desk.

"So you are the faggot who took Barnabas from me." Roxanne said coldly.

He looked up. "You are dead! " he said "Tammy killed you.!"

"You mistake me for someone else." she smiled, with a poisonous sweetness.. "I come from a different world, and there Barnabas Collins loved me."

"Another world... you are the other Roxanne."

There was a cold light in her eyes. The same cold light he had seen in Howard's eyes when he had left them to go kill Burke.

He gulped. Roxanne was a vampire. But worse, she was a cold blooded killer who could kill with her bare hands. A ruthless assassin.

Who now decided that he had to die...

"I did not steal Barnabas from you!" he said. "He had given up on seeing you again. He was free."

"You dared to put your hands on him. He was mine!"

"Cut the melodrama!"

George turned, Megan was behind him, hissing and baring her fangs. Defending her territory and her people.

"Who are you?"

"I am the resident vampire in charge of keeping friendly relations with the locals. You did not introduce yourself to me, as you should have."

"I did not know..."

"Well, now you know. What is your name? Why did you come here? What are your plans?"

"My name is Roxanne Drew."

"I knew another by the same name. She did not follow the rules. She is now dead. Break the rules and you will end up dead, too. You understand me?"

"I can beat you."

"In hand to hand you might. But I got a whole town behind me. You got no one. If I want you dead, you will be dead. Now, convince me that I do not want you dead."

"What's your name?"

"Megan Graham, and you did not tell me where you came from and what your intentions are. Though from what I see, they are no good."

"I cam from a Parallel Universe."

"From the changing room, I take it."

"I came to reclaim Barnabas Collins."

"Well, he's already taken. So you better get back to where you came from."

"And if I wanted to stay?"

"I do not see why you would want to, but I will tell you the ground rules. This is a vampire friendly town. This is a good town for a vampire to come to, and I want to keep it that way."

'What does that mean, vampire friendly?"

"That people do know about you, and are cool with it, as long as you follow the rules."

"Which are?"

"You do not hurt anyone. You can feed as much as you like. Take just what you need from healthy people. If you want to binge, catch a deer or go to cattle. No kids. The best bet is the food pantry. You bring in food there, or put some work, and you can feed off the clients. You can live where you want. You can earn money by any licit means. You do not make a nuisance of yourself, as you were about to with the local law enforcement officer here."

"But he..."

"He is now the current boyfriend of your old boyfriend? Sorry, that's no excuse. We expect you to solve your relationships problems without violence. The people here have a right not to be collateral damage for your personal problems. You do that, and I will come after you."

Roxanne's eyes glistened with a cold light.

"Blood simple, that's what you are." Megan said "You have reached the point when all the solutions to your problems involve killing someone. I know, you've been in a war, and it is easy to get in that mindset. But we are at peace here. You want to stay, get rid of that mindset. Killing does not solve problems. I just leads to you being hunted down like a mad dog."

"And if I do not like your rules?"

"Then you get back to your own Universe."

"And if not?"

"I told you. I have the authority to execute you, and I will do so. I will not like it, but I will do it."

"You got to catch me first." Roxanne said, and vanished.

"Damn, damn, damn..." George said. "Now I got a target on my back... Thanks... is it true that you have the authority to execute her?"

"Any one of us has the authority to execute any rogue vampire who endangers the rest of us."

"I see... So if any one of you would have been here in 1967..."

"Barnabas would have been executed. Not before he was given a chance to straighten up his act. But if he did not... Well, Collinsport was off the radar then, and that was lucky for him."

"So, what now?"

"Now I will take you to Angelique and will make her fashion a protective amulet.."

'Not a cross?"

"Get real. It does not affect me, nor it affected Derek... I am willing to bet that this Roxanne is immune to. But Angelique can fashion something that does not depend on psychosomatic reactions, that work only because people expect it to. She can tell you more than I can. Now, let's go, and let's try to keep you from getting killed."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What is a difference between an amulet and a cross?" George asked Angelique as she stirred the pot where she was soaking the amulets that would control Roxanne.

"A cross in only one in a long series of symbols that were used to control vampires by the sorcerers who owned them. It had to be an easily recognized sign, and a cross is that. But the difference was between a treated and untreated sign. A treated sign always works. An untreated will work if the vampire has managed a psychosomatic response to it... Or had it implanted in his mind, as I did with Barnabas and on our Roxanne, because I thought that was part and parcel of it. That's why crosses do nothing to Megan, and did nothing to Derek when he was one."

"I take it that only the sorcerers had access to the treated signs."

"Yes, they wanted control over their slaves. And since the vampires were their enforcers against rebellious peasants, they made sure that the peasants had not weapons against them."

"In the end, it was the vampires' rebellion that brought the sorcerers down. That much Vassily told Barnabas."

"Yes. It was them. The power of their masters broken, they scattered about to make a new life for themselves, and some managed it better than others... All vampires today come from them."

"And they managed to have a psychosomatic reaction to crosses. Why crosses?"

"Well, it had to do with brushes with a new breed of sorcerers, who had themselves issues with crosses, as they set themselves in opposition to Christianity. It is a long and complicated story. Vampires had a lot of psychological scars, due to their period of slavery, and getting themselves a psychosomatic fear of crosses was the least of their symptoms..."

"And you knew this when you cursed Barnabas?"

"I am ashamed to say ay I did not. I was quite ignorant of what I was, and I acted out of ignorance. I did have the chance to learn since then... I was a clever girl who knew a few tricks, but who never asked what was the rationale behind them. Too busy getting why I wanted to think things through... But then being raised in a plantation taught me only one thing. Be strong and take what you want. Or be weak and be trampled."

George sighed. "This is a problem that I have with Barnabas. I did not tell him of it. There is no point, but..."

"But, you have been a slave. You know what it is like."

"And I keep remembering what the purpose of the business trip to Andre du Pres plantation was. What Barnabas was bringing to du Pres. And what the system was. Work a slave to death and replace him when he died, because slaves were cheap. Cheaper than feeding them properly, or caring for them when sick... That plantation was no better than a gulag. And Barnabas provided the slaves for it..."

"He paid for it. All that he endured was expiation for it."

"Yes. That's why I cannot talk to him about it. But I can understand you hating Josette, because all that she was, all her possessions, all that refinement, all that charm, all that sweetness, it was paid for by the labor of slaves worked to death.. And when Barnabas mentioned that she died rather than become as she was, I keep thinking that she did it not because of any sense of good and evil, but of squeamishness. She did not mind feeding on blood and life, as long as she did not get to see it."

Angelique shook her head. "Well, you are right. But nothing good will come out of telling Barnabas that. Let him keep his illusions..." She fished into the bubbling pot. "Well, they are about ready. One for you. One for Buffy, one for Frank, one for their baby, and one for Urien."

"And get them out of town tomorrow, anyway."

"Yes. I do not want them hit by the shrapnel when Roxanne confronts Barnabas."

"You think that Barnabas can calm her down?"

"Him?" Angelique laughed "Barnabas' track record of calming down discarded girlfriends is not one to inspire confidence. Bur he is going to be our bait to be able to track Roxanne to where she lies during the day."

* * *

Phillip looked at her in horror. Roxanne Drew... she was here...

She was dead, they had told him that she was dead, that she could not hurt him again...

Roxanne did not know what was the matter with the man. Why he looked at her as if he was the real Captain Todd and was going to be punished for his crimes.

But it was not him. She had to remind herself that she was not back home, and that people were different.

But she needed a place to stay during the day, and this man could provide him with it.

She reached out to him. Phillip screamed in fear, but she was on top of him, turning his face around, and extending his throat. She bit into him, to get enough control of him.

Not Captain Todd at all... but he seemed to have had a bad experience with the Roxanne of this reality...

Well, she had what she needed. Now she would go to rest in this man's home. tomorrow, she would hunt George Brant, kill him, and throw his head at Barnabas' feet.

* * *

"Do we have to go?" Frank asked, irritated.

"It is the only way to keep all of you safe." George insisted. "that woman will be looking for Buffy as soon as she figures out that she was the one who warned Megan. And she may also hurt you or the baby. I want all of you out of town by sundown."

"But I can't take the day off."

'Yes, you can. What you can't is remain here with a killer after you."

Eventually they got into the car, where Urien was waiting. Urien had complained too, saying that he would be all right. George had threatened to put the cuffs on him and drag him away if he did not comply, and in the end, he had done as he was asked.

They would drive as far as they could, and stop at any motel. And the next morning they would keep going..

* * *

Vicky gulped as she saw the makeshift coffin with Roxanne in it, now resting in her cellar.

She had to protect her. Roxanne had made sure of that .

She recalled how she had come in, brought by Phillip. She recalled the cold look of surprise mixed with hatred in Roxanne's eyes...

"So you are his wife. Victoria Todd. In the end he got you, didn't he?" That was what she had said.

"I am not... not the Victoria you knew." she had managed to answer as a mad light danced in the woman's eye.

"I know that." she said. "Still you wear her face? How do you know of her?"

"Barnabas told us."

"The other Victoria was a fool. She got what she deserved. If you are not a fool, you can live,. You, your husband, and your child."

"What must I do?'"

"Just keep the secret of where I am. If they find me through you, I will make you pay.. Come here."

Vicky had not resisted. She knew it was useless. Roxanne fed at her, grabbing control of her mind..

Thankfully she had not cared to do the same to Little Phillip.

"That will be enough. Now you will tell me what I need to know about this town."

* * *

Angelique sat on the couch at the Old House. Soon Barnabas would get up and wait for Roxanne.

They had spread out the news that Barnabas was back. Roxanne was bound to hear about it, and would come for a confrontation...

Barnabas had been told not to leave the Old House, not until she showed up. He would have to do with the dried blood for today. It had not killed Derek, and it would not kill him to use it now. The important thing was that Roxanne came in, where Angelique waited for her.

Not that she meant to be seen... Barnabas did not even know of it. He had made to believe that he could convince Roxanne to stop her murderous intentions... as if anything that Barnabas said could make a difference to a cold blooded killer as Roxanne was now...

Urien was safely away. Maybe Roxanne would decide that she had no reason to kill him. But maybe she would decide that she had... Better not tempt her. She had taken the cats too. She probably was not petty enough to slaughter them, just because Barnabas was fond of them... But she might...

Now she had to hide herself before Barnabas got up, and when Roxanne came in, and had her big dramatic scene with Barnabas, tag her so that she could be traced to her daytime hiding place.. Then, lock her up in her coffin and bring her to Megan to decide.

She was curious to see how Barnabas would handle it. If he was getting any better at calming down scorned women, or if he still managed to infuriate them more...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Dusk fell and Barnabas got up. He remembered what he had to do, and what he had been told.

Roxanne was back. The first Roxanne that he had known. The sweet innocent girl lying on the table at Stokes' laboratory. The one who had been sold by her boyfriend, Claude North, for this experiment. The one who had awoken his protective instincts, that had allowed him to be nurturing after so many years...

And then the determined freedom fighter ready to do anything for her cause.

And now... Now a highly efficient killer on the warpath, ready to kill George for what she judged to be Barnabas' betrayal. One who might be willing to kill Buffy and her family in retaliation for calling in Megan...

People change... and what Roxanne had gone through could make anyone change...

But still... how to reconcile that sweet innocent victim on Stokes' lab with this ruthless killer he was about to face?

Maybe he had not known her that well...

And maybe she had not know him that well...

Maybe if he promised to give up George... No, he had made a similar bargain in 1840, promising Angelique to give up the other Roxanne... It had not worked.

He had to make her see reason...

An ominous knock at the door interrupted his reverie. She was there.

He went to the door. He hesitated a few seconds, then opened it. It was her...

"Hello, Roxanne." he said, "please come in."

She stepped in and looked at him angrily.

"Is it true that you tried to kill George?" he sighed inwardly. There it was starting again. First he had to protect his own from Angelique's wrath. Now it was Roxanne's wrath...

"Let's hope that we do not get any collateral damage this time." Megan had said to him, and there was an undertone of menace. There'd better not be any collateral damage or it would come out of his hide, she had implied...

"Him!" she said angrily "Listen to the way you speak of him!"

"I love him."

"You can't. You are not like that."

"I am. I am sorry to disappoint you, but you should not have expected me to remain unattached. You did not."

"So, out of sight, out of mind for you?"

"I thought I would never see you again."

"And all those things you said meant nothing."

"I meant them when I said them."

Angelique almost snorted. Over two hundred years old, and Barnabas' technique for dumping girlfriends did not get any better. She felt sympathy for Roxanne, and had to restrain herself from joining the argument, and piling it up on poor Barnabas..

But she was not here to embarrass Barnabas, but to prevent Roxanne from going into a killing spree. Roxanne was dangerous, she must remind herself.

She instead concentrated on setting a tag on her. It would be a subtle thing. Something that could look like a gnat, and that would alight on Roxanne's hair. That would go with her wherever she went. And then tell them where that was...

She rubbed the vial of Megan's blood on her fingers. She could not do it the way she usually did, finding the power in her own life force. She needed all of it for her baby. So she had to use her connection to Megan to power her magic.

She honestly hoped that none of what she did harmed her baby.

"After all I went through, after what I endured, thinking that I would see you again. And what do I find when I finally come for you? That you are doing it with a man."

"I never meant to hurt you. It has nothing to do with who your are..."

"And to think that I chose you over Quentin. _He_ was a real man, not like you.!"

Roxanne left, slamming the door.. while Barnabas called her back

After all these years, Barnabas still did not know how to handle dumped girlfriends...

* * *

Well, that was as far as they had gotten, with taking turns for the driving, him, Urien, Frank, and Buffy. Still, they were beat, and they were over the state line anyway. They stopped at the nearest motel and got two rooms.

This was far enough for all of them. Roxanne could not trace them this far. And they had protective amulets all of them.

One room for Urien and himself, one for Buffy, Frank, and the baby.

Was he a coward for running away? He felt that way. And yet what could he do? Megan and Angelique could handle her, and all he could do was be a target that they needed to protect. They could function better if he was not around. And he was taking other people in danger away...

Were they overreacting? Maybe. But when he recalled the cold light in Roxanne's eyes, he knew that they were not. The place where Roxanne had gone was not one that he could understand. Only to know that when she or Howard got there it was no longer a question of whether someone had to die, but of how could it be done...

Howard and Roxanne... Maybe those two belonged together...

Now, they had to survive the night. And with the morning he would call Angelique and find out how much more he had to run.

* * *

Dawn broke. Megan was deep in he daylight sleep, and so was Roxanne.

Roxanne had been furious. She had hovered over George's home, after she found out he was not at his office. Then she had flown over the Torrances' home. Angelique did not want to think what she might have done to them if they had not been away.

The worst part was the she understood Roxanne so well... She too had reacted like that, willing to let innocent people pay for Barnabas' fickleness. She thought of Eric Lang, of Sam Evans, of Joe Haskell...

She could not condemn Roxanne for what she had done herself... What was the difference between her and Roxanne, anyway?

She knew that answer that Megan gave her. "The difference is that you came to your senses, and now know that it was wrong. She still hasn't"

She still felt guilty about the other Roxanne, the one that Megan had executed.

Guilt would not help them. Worry about the baby would not.

She closed her eyes and visualized the trace she had placed on Roxanne. It was close, real close...

It was at the Todd's place.

Of course, Roxanne remembered the other Philip Todd. The one who was Victoria Collins' lover. It made sense that she should go after him. Him or Joe Haskell. Or Chris Jennings if he had been here...

She hoped that she Roxanne had remembered that these were not the people she had once know, and refrained from slaughtering them... They should have made the leave town too...

Hoping to find them alive, she called Deputy Hamell, whom George had left in charge. They had to find Roxanne, and bring her immobilized in her coffin to a placed where she could be dealt with.

What did Megan mean by 'dealt with'? Not killing. It could be done just at easily at the Todds...

One thing gave her pause.. Getting inside the Todds' was not going to easy. They were likely to be controlled by Roxanne now, and would fight to protect her. They would not let in anyone wearing a uniform get near to them.

But they might allow Willie to come in.

Willie had been brooding ever since Barnabas had been abducted, because of his inability to do anything to help. It had not been his fault, he had no powers to oppose to Vassily Petofi. Still, the one chance they had, that of contacting Eliot Stokes he had botched because of his quarrel with his father.

So here was a chance for him to be useful again. He very likely would jump at that chance...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"It is no use, doctor." Carolyn said firmly I do not want Uncle Roger '"taken care of" He's not crazy, and you are not going to lock him up in an institution."

"Carolyn" Julia tried to sound reasonable 'Nobody said anything about an institution."

"But that's what you mean Put him away so that he can't bother anyone."

"You have to agree that his actions have been questionable. And he does not need to be committed. He can be treated as an outpatient. Just take his medications regularly, and attend therapy sessions."

"No! I will not do that!"

"It is the best solution for him"

Carolyn would not bulge, not yet. But Julia was not discouraged. You told people what the situation was, and let them vent. Then, give them a chance to think it over. Next time she came, Carolyn would be much more reasonable.

In the meantime she had to kill some time as she had an appointment with Megan as soon as the sun set.

* * *

Willie braced himself. From what he knew Phillip would put up a real fight in protecting Roxanne, and his job would be to subdue him without hurting him.

Well he'd do his best. You could not have a madwoman running loose, ready to tear into everything in her path because Barnabas could not be hers.. One of those in your lifetime was more than enough.

He had a good cover story. He had promised Phillip not to long ago to loan him some of his power tools. Phillip would not be surprised to see him, and would allow him to come in.. He might be on his guard if he seemed too curious as to who was home, but would not be suspicious of him otherwise.

Phillip opened the door, and allowed him in. . Willie came in, but he was not alone. Angelique slipped by, cloaked under a spell of invisibility.

Willie showed his tools and chatted with Phillip, who seemed impatient, while Angelique went looking for Vicky. Willie and Phillip talked jobs - Phillip had accepted the job as Carolyn's secretary, in spite of his and Vicky's misgivings. They talked wives, they talked kids...

Willie was certainly talkative today, Phillip thought, a bit impatient. He had to be gone.. Roxanne wanted him gone...

If only he could tell Willie what was going on.

"You!" Vicky screamed. One scream. then the soft noise of her falling down...

Phillip turned his head , alarmed towards the shout.

That was what Willie had been waiting for. He threw his arm around Phillip's throat, seeking to put pressure on his carotids, to make him lose consciousness... It was not as easy as Deputy Hammell had told him it would be...

Phillip fought back. But by then Angelique had returned, after dealing with Vicky, and between the two, they managed to subdue Phillip.

"This is my house!" Phillip shouted at them. "I will have you arrested."

"We know who is in here, Phillip. We will take her away. It is for your own good." Angelique said.

"No, you can't"

"Look, Phillip" Willie was reasonable. "I know how it is. And I know that you really don't want to protect her. We will take care of it, and you and Vicky can go back to your normal lives. You want her away from here, don't you? Away from Vicky and from Little Phillip?"

"I have to protect her!"

"No, you don't" Angelique put her hand on Phillip's temple. "Go to sleep now, Phillip. When you wake up, she will no longer hold power over you."

Phillip collapsed. Willie picked up Vicky and laid her down next to Phillip, equally unharmed. Little Phillip cried a bit, but Angelique made him sleep too. Angelique checked the child. There had been wounds in Phillip's throat and on Vicky's. But none on the child.

Which meant that they did not have to kill Roxanne..

Angelique put the controlling amulet over Roxanne's heart, immobilizing her. Then Willie chained the coffin and between him and Angelique, they dragged it out, and loaded it in Willie's van.

* * *

Pain. There was a dark void inside her that sucked at every thought, every feeling that Iris had. A pain that would not let her rest.

It had not been her fault. _Not her fault_. Violet had done it to herself. She had made her decision and suffered for it. Peter needed care, and she could not give it if she gave herself to despair.

She had failed Peter, too.

She should pull herself out of her self-inflicted misery, but she could not.

For some reason, what had happened to Violet was her fault.

She did not realize it, but the pain in her acted like a magnet, drawing unhappy spirits, hungry for a body that would allow them to do what they had failed to accomplish in life.

She only had to abandon herself only a bit longer,, just a bit more, and she would be open to them.

But she did not know that...

* * *

""That's a good baby" George said, patting Lyndon on his belly while he gurgle.

"You look funny." Frank commented.

"Why?"

"I don't know... you don't strike me as the father type."

George sighed. He did not want to get into that kind of an argument, not since it was now partly his fault that Frank was now on the run...

"In fact, I am going to be a father soon."

'How come?"

"While I was a.. a prisoner, they mated me to Angelique. They wanted to breed new slaves and they got me to impregnate the one they chose for me. Angelique was disguised as Amy then. In any case, Angelique is now pregnant, and I am the father."

Frank stared at him.

"I am surprised too that it turned out this way." George avowed "But I am happy about it. I do not know if Angelique wants to raise it or not, but I know that I am willing.""

Frank and Buffy looked at each other... Of all the things.

"Well, congratulations, George." Buffy managed to say. She was more unfazed about it than Frank...After all for her the big hurdle was accepting that someone who wore an uniform could be a friend. Once that was over, George's sex life was only a detail.

"I am now going to call Angelique. See if we have to keep running until New York City at least. Or whether we can go home."

* * *

"I am glad to see you, Quentin." Adam embraced him. "I have missing you a lot."

"I had a few things to settle with Carolyn." he did not mention the fact that Carolyn had come on to him. No need to create more trouble for those two. "I wanted her to give me a loan. But I think I will try someone who was not married to me... You know, our marriage was a sham, a convenience. But still it left scars"

"Maybe I can help."

"You mean giving me am loan yourself or speaking to Carolyn about me?'

"I can afford to loan you the money. But as for speaking to Carolyn, well, I can try. But she does not seem to listen to me much."

Quentin frowned. "I am sorry that things are not working out."

"It has to do with Roger. Everybody knows that he is dangerous and that something needs to be done about him. Everyone but Carolyn. I tried to reason with her. I got Julia Hoffman to try to show her how dangerous Roger is... We might as well be talking to the wall."

"Roger was always a problem."

"He already tried to kill me."

"He also tried to kill me. He does not like anyone marrying Carolyn."

"Well, I can't remain here and wait for him to kill me can I? It is not a little thing.

"Maybe I can talk to her about it."

"She does not listen to anybody. We need someone who can make her _listen_."

"Or somebody who can change her mind."

* * *

George stopped the car at the service station. He filled the tank, and then, after he went to pay, asked for the phone.

He called Angelique and said the code word.

"She is secured, George." Angelique said. "We have her. You can all come back."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Derek stood somberly in front of Angelique. "Is it true?" he asked. "That Roxanne is back?"

"Yes. She is." Angelique said., giving a side glance to where the chained coffin was. "But that should not concern you."

"But she's supposed to be dead. And now Sebastian's dead and..."

"Is is not the same Roxanne. She is not the one who knew Sebastian Shaw. She comes from an alternate reality in which the man that mattered were Claude North, Timothy Stokes, Barnabas, their Quentin, and then, in her hit list, Joe Haskell. Phillip Todd, and Chris Collins. You are not even in her radar."

Derek's expression was still grim.

"She does not care that you killed Sebastian."

"I had to kill him" Derek said numbly. "There was no other way."

"But you do not like remembering it, do you?"

"No." he said bleakly. "I know that it had to be done. It was self-defense for all of us. We would not have a chance if he lived..."

"Yes. It was a brave, heroic action of your part."

"Yet why I keep dreaming of him?... Damn it, I was a vampire for years and not even once did I kill anyone. I become human again, and I had to kill someone..."

"I would have killed him myself. Or George. Or Zeb. Or Jessica. Anyone else would have done it. "

* * *

"Zeb, guess who is pregnant? Apart from me?" Jessica asked.

"Anybody we know?"

"Angelique."

"Angelique?"

"And guess who the father is. I could not believe when I heard it."

"Who's the father?"

"George Brant."

"How could he...?"

"Remember that Vassily mated his slaves? George was mated to Amy. But it was not Amy. Angelique had disguised herself and taken Amy's place. So George was mated to Angelique."

"Well, I am glad that Vassily is dead and that your children can be free. My child and his."

Jessica looked at him amazed. "You _have_ changed... "

"What do you mean?"

"The way you talk of Brant now. When I recall how worked up you were about him."

"I could say that talking to Julia helped me, but the fact is that after what we went through in the egg, and how we managed to escape by working together and trusting each other, suddenly a lot of things do not matter at all. He risked all to save all of us, and he did it, or at least he helped do it. I do not think I can care for anything else about him now."

* * *

Angelique looked at the chained coffin. In a few hours Megan would rise, and then they could decide what to do with their captive.

She must be willing to give up Barnabas and get on with her life.

And if she refused to give up Barnabas?

The other Roxanne had been killed. Sebastian had been killed too, as Derek had reminded her.

She did not want any more deaths... There must be a way to save this Roxanne.

She owed it to the other Roxanne, and to Sebastian...

"Please, Roxanne," she pleaded. "Let us save you. Do not force us to kill you."

* * *

"What was the job that Angelique wanted you to do?" Louella could not keep from being a bit suspicious. Willie had been secretive about it, and Angelique was a beautiful woman... Even tough her instincts told her that if Willie was to have an affair he would not choose someone who could make as much trouble as Angelique, still, she wondered.

"I had to get into Phillip's house, and subdue him. This way they could take Roxanne's coffin with her in it."

"Roxanne? But she is dead."

"Not that Roxanne. The one from Parallel Time. She came for Barnabas, only he was not available. She was mortally offended because he had thrown her over for George Brant, so she came close to killing a few people, staring with Brant... She has leaned to killing without even blinking, and that made her dangerous. But Angelique says that now they can deal with her."

Louella sighed. "And she will make no more trouble now?"

"I hope so." Willie looked at her, at her expression. "Hey, you did not think that I was sleeping around with her..."

"Well, she is a gorgeous woman."

"Yes. But she has a very bad temper when crossed. I do not care to be turned into a frog if I rub her the wrong way."

* * *

Roxanne opened her eyes. It was all she could do. She saw the lid being lifted and she was now staring at Angelique. She hissed at her.

"Who are you?" she asked. "you look like her..."

"Roxanne, please listen to me."

"You are the jealous one, aren't you? The one who made him a vampire... He told me about you."

"Yes. I was that. And worse. Still, what you are doing is wrong."

"Wrong! What would you know of right and wrong? I know all that you did because you could not have him."

"And I know what you want to do because _you_ can't have him... Roxanne, have you ever stopped to think that he might not be worth so much grief.?

"I want him. I dreamed for too long o seeing him again. I endured all that because I had the hope of one day seeing him again. You tell me that it was for nothing?"

"It got it thought what you had to endure. You survived. You now have a chance for a new life. You do not need Barnabas for it."

"So you can have him? "

"I lived with him for a while. It did not work. He has too many scars and too many quirks. He can be a trial sometimes... It took me a while that it was hurt pride of my part, not love... Roxanne, you have no killed anyone yet. Please do not repeat my mistakes. There was too much suffering from it. Too many innocent people caught in it."

"I do not want to kill any innocent people. Just the cop."

"You cannot. Megan will kill you if you do. For one thing, she is serious about you being a danger to other vampires by your excesses. For another, that cop is a good friend of hers."

"And I must bow to her? What is she, the Vampire Queen of Collinsport?'

"She is a member in good standing in the local vampire community of New England. And she has the authority to dispose of troublesome vampires who do not follow the rules."

* * *

"So you want now the cure for vampirism?" Julia said to Megan, mockingly. "What made you change your mind?"

"Not for me, Doctor. Even if I wanted it, I would not take it."

"Why not?"

"Because I know too many thing about the local vampire community. Do you think that knowing what I know, they would let me become human so that I could give away their secrets? I would not last two days as a normal human. And you would not survive either... Julia, vampires are more than a bit paranoid, if you have not figured it out with what happened to Richard. Threaten them and they will kill you.."

"So why do you want the cure?"

"Roxanne Drew. She can become human again, and would not threaten anyone. She knows no secrets, can give away nothing that would endanger other vampires. And it would keep her manageable."

"If she is what you describe..."

"She is a cold blooded killer, Doctor. I have no illusions that becoming human will make any difference in her disposition. But once human a cell can hold her. She can be controlled... And if she is human, no matter what problems she caused, I would not be duty bound to execute her. "

"The treatment has its flaws."

"I know what happened to Barnabas the second time. But the first time it worked. And you now got a new guinea pig to perfect your treatment."

Julia sighed, not wholly happy with what Megan proposed.

"She does not have that many options now. I want to do right by her, if nothing else for Angelique's sake. And I was thinking, if the treatment works, we can send her to Egg City, where Howard can control her... Your cousin would know how to explain things to her in a language she understands.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Julia was about to meet her unwilling patient when she heard Barnabas speak.

"Roxanne" he was saying, with too many mixed emotions in that word.

Great, she thought. Barnabas was here trying to make things better, and making it worse, because everything that he didn't know about women could fill many books.

So she sat down to wait, and to listen...

Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she hit Barnabas on the head with a heavy log Maybe he'd get the news that he was doing it all wrong...

"You let them do this to me," Roxanne said accusingly. "You know how much fun it is to be immobilized here?"

"I know..." he answered, shivering. "I had it done to me."

"You don't care if I am driven mad."

"I care. I could convince them to let you go. But I want to be sure that you won't try to harm those I care for."

"I loved you! I was such a fool as to love you! And you are not worth it!"

So, if he's not worth it, why not let him go and find someone else who _is_ worth it? Julia felt like screaming...

"For this I waited all these years. To think that I put my hopes on you!"

"There are better things to put your hopes on."

Well, that was true, Julia thought. It took her a while to see it, but she had done it, and that's why she had now Kenneth and Gretchen...

"You are scum!" Roxanne hollered.

Good thing that she was immobilized or she'd start throwing things around...

"Roxanne, I do not know what to say." That was true enough, Julia thought. At last he had developed some self-awareness.."

"You could begin by saying that you are sorry. Only that you are not. You could say that you love me, but you'd be lying through your teeth. I am a discarded girlfriend, an inconvenience, an embarrassment. So you hire these people to get rid of me."

'I am so sorry."

"You say it as if you pitied me. Is that true, do you pity me?"

"No, Roxanne.. I do not pity you."

"Yes, you pity me. I had hoped for more, but I am not good enough."

"It cannot be for us as it once was."

'Your promises meant nothing, then."

"I wanted to stay with you. You told me to leave, to go my own way."

"You could have waited for me."

"For how long?"

"As long as I waited for you. but the moment I was not there, you forgot me."

"I went through a rough time. And George was there."

"I went through rough times myself. And no one was there for me. All I had was your memory. I did not seek anyone else."

"Maybe you should have."

Barnabas was in a fine mess, Julia thought. And, as usual, he could not blame anyone but himself.

"We had all the time in the world." Roxanne said. "Waiting would not have meant much to you."

"It is not that easy."

"\And now they all act as it is all my fault. _you_ are the one who forgot me as if I was nothing, as if I was just an inconvenience.. Then you turn me over to your other discarded girlfriend. You are a real prince, you know that?"

"Roxanne... you have been in that war too long."

"And what does this have to do with your forgetting me?"

"You learned too many wrong things in that war. You have forgotten other things."

"And so?"

"So, they cannot let you get out of that coffin until you learn again how to live in peacetime."

"And then you promise to love me?"

He said nothing.

Eventually he left, and Julia could come in. Barnabas gave her a soul wrenching look, that at other times would have made her come running to comfort him. But she had decided that she was not going to rescue Barnabas anymore from his own foolishness.

Instead she went in to see her reluctant patient.

Roxanne hissed at her,

"Cut the crap." Julia said. "I know that you are an intelligent and articulate woman. So stop acting like a B movie stereotype."

Roxanne gave her a dirty look, but stopped the hissing.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I will try to cure you of vampirism."

"Why? Do you think that I will be a nicer person if you succeed?"

"No. But once you are normal, if you step out of line, you can be jailed, and jail _will_ hold you. Also, this gives you a better chance to start a new life."

"But not with Barnabas."

"Join the club, baby. Me, and Angelique, and Iris... With you, we have enough for bridge."

"Why can't I have him?"

"I asked myself the same question for a long time. I wanted him as badly as you do, and he chose not to see it. I was angry with him for a while too... but then it passed. Now I have a husband who truly loves me and a baby... So you see, it isn't the end of the world if you do not have that collection of neurotic ticks that he is. There are plenty things to live for."

"Like what?"

"Roxanne, as I said, you are an intelligent, accomplished, and brave woman. There is much that needs doing in this world, and you are welcome to help do some of it. There are plenty of places where many of your skills are needed."

"You want me to be a govenness again?"

"After being the leader of the Resistance at home? No, there are better things in store for you. You should talk with Howard about a project of his."

"Howard who?"

"Howard Nelson. He has a story similar to yours. He too is starting a new life, and has a project that he is enthusiastic about. He can tell you all about it."

* * *

"It is over." Phillip embraced Vicky "She is gone and I have no compulsion to go and free her."

"Same here. Angelique did a good job of it." she snuggled up close to him. "It is so good to be back to normal."

"Or what passes for normal in Collinsport. Now everything looks quiet and uneventful."

"Take care, sayiing those words is a surefire way to start the next trouble."

"With luck the trouble will go to someone else. I mean, I undestand that Xavier Davenport almost died a few months back but now he and Sandy are just living a quiet life, running the Center, making money, and enjoying themselves. Why can't it be the same for us?"

"Why not, indeed?" Vicky kissed him. "So, let's hope that it is so for us... And good luck with your job. Just don't let Carolyn give you any crap. She tries, poor thing, but she is too much in the habit of being the lady of the manor, that she cannot help to try to run people roughshod.."

"The problem might be Roger, rather. I do wish he got some sort of treatment."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Hello Quentin," Megan said. "I do not see much of you these days... I take that your new life is satisfactory."

"It is... Look you and I do not have much of a relationship... but I know that you are the person to go to when you got a problem that needs solving."

"And your problem is?"

"It is Adam's. Or rather it is everybody's. Roger needs some sort of treatment, but Carolyn will not hear of it. "

"Roger has been a loose cannon for too long."

"He already tried to kill Adam once. He may try again. Carolyn thinks that by having him discreetly followed by the maids, and by cutting his access to guns the problem is solved. She will not listen to reason."

Megan sighed. "I think that it is time for her booster shot... I did manage to improve her attitude a while back. But Roger may cause her to backslide."

"Roger can be treated as an outpatient. All he has to do is take medication regularly. Can you convince Carolyn of that?"

"Yes, I can.. And probably adjust her attitude on other areas. Convince her that she wants friends more than she wants to be the lady of the manor.. Poor kid, she had a lousy upbringing. All the money in the world is no compensation for being raised wrong, and being given the wrong values from day one... but you could talk also about being raised with the wrong values..."

"I hope I have left all my foolishness behind me by now. Thanks to Adam and Angelique I can say that now."

"And you are looking for investors?"

"Yes."

"You tell me what it is and I might be interested."

"Low cost housing."

"Low cost housing?"

"It started when I rescued Adam. He was sleeping on the ground, almost ready to freeze to death. After that I stated seeing how many men, women, and even children did not have a roof over their heads. There are now homeless shelters. They do help, but it is a temporary solution. They should be able to get a place of their own, but there is not enough housing that they can afford. I want to start building some.."

"Not all of them can do it. There are mental cases, there are drug addicts."

"I know. There are some who may be in the homeless shelter for a long time. But everybody who moves in to proper housing means one free bed at the shelter."

"I see."

"Are you willing?"

"Let me see your plans, and if they make sense, I will invest."

"And if they do not?"

"Then I tell them how to fix them... You know that you may get a special rate, or that your tenants might get a special rate if there are feeding privileges attached?"

"Feeding privileges... you mean?"

"I would not be the first vampire that bankrolled a humanitarian enterprise in order to get access to easy and safe feeding."

* * *

Well, he was back at this desk, ready to work again, and hope that his deputies had been working hard, even without him to watch over them.

It was only a few seconds after he sat down that Tammy came in.

"George, about that town meeting." she said, apologetically "I truly had no idea that it would turn out the way it did. All I wanted out of it was to find a way to pull you out of your depression, and maybe come up with some idea which would have helped you and Barnabas."

"No, you were right. It was my job and I was neglecting it. Still... I had never gone against something which was so much stronger than me, and against which I could do nothing. When it swallowed up Barnabas, so quickly, so efficiently, so... hygienically, I freaked out. I was too hurt to behave rationally. I should have taken a leave of absence, since I was obviously not able to do my job."

"But you should not have been suspended as you were."

"No, they were absolutely right. They did not elect me so that I could get drunk on the job and pick up fights in bars. And then." he sighed "I have decided not to run again. No, it has nothing to do with you. I want to do something else with my life."

"Does it have to do with you making it public about you and Barnabas?"

"In a sense. If I stayed, it would have become a referendum on whether a gay man can be sheriff in this county. That should not be the issue at all. It should be only be as to whether or not I had done a good job, and could be counted to do so in the future... but for a while I did not do a good job, and that should also count."

"You don't have to punish yourself for that one failure. Everyone has a losing streak at one time or another."

"No, my heart is not in it. I do not want to end like Patterson did. He never gave himself the chance to be anything else but sheriff of Collinsport. I want more than that for myself. As for a the job, Geoffrey Hamell can do it just as well as myself."

"I still feel badly about it."

"Don't be. I needed a swift kick in the ass, and you delivered it. That's what friends are for... And one thing more Tammy."

"Yes?"

"I will never again find it tiresome when you talk about slavery and what was done to your people. I _know_ what it was like, and... and I know that you are absolutely right about that."

Eventually Tammy left, and he could get back to his job.

Not for long, because Derek came in.

Derek had began to put some weight again, after he had been rescued from the egg.,, George thought. Too much chocolate... He was making up for all the chocolate he had missed in all his years as a vampire.

When he thought about it, the resentment surfaced in him. Why had Derek been the one cured of his vampirism, while Barnabas...

He repressed it. Derek had been the unsung hero of their rescue, and he should never forget it.

"Howard is less than thrilled about my plan to educate selected people from Egg City, so that they can survive on the streets." Derek said. "He says that I am teaching them to be criminals."

"He might have a point. But still, they need to know how to navigate safely out there."

"I have a suspicion that Howard might not want anyone to leave."

"I... I suspect it too."

"I do not say that he consciously wants to take over Vassily's throne. But the temptation is there. And the temptation is never stronger than when it is cloaked under the intent of doing good." George sighed. "Howard would not be the first missionary who started by doing good and ended up doing well."

"He is sincere enough."

"Sincerity is not enough when you start lying to yourself. And a soured idealist is a dangerous thing."

"We have no reason to believe that Howard is planning that."

"None, but that does not mean that the temptation is not there."

"As I said, I am willing to go there. I am willing to fight for my plan and for yours. But it is going to be only one of me."

"Patterson will be there."

"Yes. he will be there. But I wonder how much of it he does understand. Don't take it badly, but he is not like you. He lives to make the laws be obeyed, all laws, good, bad, or indifferent."

George had to agree. Patterson could be sincere, honest, and dedicated. But there were limitations in him. Limitations that would not allow to thwart Howard effectively if Howard ever stepped out of the straight and narrow.

"Frances might help."

"Or she might not. Face it, Brant, in this Howard is the expert and we... we are rank beginners. If he really wants to got that way, there is little chance that we could stop him."

"But we must. We have an obligation to those people. We cannot let them be ruled by a despot again, now matter how benevolent the despot it They deserve to live in a free society, and they deserve to learn how to do it."

"Yes. I know we do" he hesitated "Is it true that they have caught Roxanne Drew."

"Yes. And again, she is not the same one you knew." He explained to Derek what he knew of her, and how she had tried to kill him, And what they had planned for her.

"I will go talk to her.." Derek said. "If I can convince her to come with us, to join Egg City, then she may be what we need to counterbalance Howard. She speaks the same language as he."

George nodded. Derek still had a forlorn expression. He still could not forget Sebastian. He would carry him for a long time, it seemed.

* * *

She would get out of this. - Roxanne thought - they could not keep her locked up like this forever. And Barnabas would pay for doing this to her. She would find a way to hurt him, really hurt him.

"Roxanne."

She could barely move her head, but the little that she managed, told her that she was alone in the room. Still, someone had called her name.

"Roxanne..."

Her ears were playing tricks on her.

It was then that she saw him. A tall, blond man, who looked at her with sad dog's eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I failed you, I am sorry. I could not keep them from killing you. And then I went to bed with Angelique when I knew that you hated her."

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"I know. You are angry with me..."

And with those words, he vanished.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"You can look at her if you want." Angelique told George. "It is daytime and she is sleeping."

George shrugged. He was not sure why, but he wanted to see her face. Maybe to remind himself that she too was a human being whose destiny he was now deciding.

"You still want to send her to Egg City?"

"She may find how to keep herself busy there. Much better than chasing after Barnabas. She used to command many people and to make decisions every day. She has tasted power. I do not think that she would be happy to give it up, not even for Barnabas' sake."

"But she is not willing, yet."

"She will be. I will have Derek explain it to her as soon as she wakes up. Then, probably Howard will want to talk to her about it after the Board meeting."

"And that's why you asked me to move the time of the meeting to a later time."

"She has to go there. Here she will get in trouble sooner or later... Vampirism is only part of her problem. Or rather, it makes her problem worse. She knows both armed and unarmed combat, and she's quite willing to use it. Even human, I would not like to meet her in a dark alley - even if all she was carrying was a knife. Leave her alone in Collinsport and she will manage to end up in jail. Or shot resisting arrest. In Egg City she may find a sense of purpose, and a honored place in society. That will help get her over her dreadful disappointment over Barnabas."

"Barnabas is not happy about it."

"No, he is not. Just make sure that he does not talk to her. I suspect that what he says only infuriates her more."

"You are right. I got to hear his lines, and they infuriated me too." Angelique grinned. "Gave me the desire to hit him with a two by four to teach him a thing or two about women."

He looked at her again.

"Poor thing. All she ever did was love Barnabas too much. He was the one hope that she clung to when things got rough, the one dream that kept her fighting. And it turned out not to be real."

"Well, if what you plan works, she will find new hopes and dreams, that will be real this time."

"And this may turn out to be a rest cure for her, too. Living like she did had to take its toll on her. She never had the chance to sit down, let out her breath and put things in perspective. She had to make unpleasant decisions and live with the results.. She had to gamble her life every day. And she built up this image of Barnabas based on what she needed him to be... She was bound to be disappointed, not matter what... Now we have to get her to a place where she can handle her disappointment without killing anyone..."

* * *

When Barnabas got up he found a paper in his hand. A handwritten note. "Stay away from Roxanne. We are dealing with her. If I find out that you have tried to talk to her, I will hurt you, badly. " Signed Megan.

And below "I mean it too. I see you nearby and I will put a spell on you that will embarrass you to no end." Signed Angelique.

Below "We mean it. You do not know how infuriating you can be.. Your explanations are the one thing that Roxanne does not need. Doctor's orders. If you do not follow it, you may find yourself at the receiving end of some very unpleasant medical procedure." Signed Julia

And finally "Please, do not interfere. I love you dearly, but you say the wrong things without meaning to. We want to reach her, not make her mad." signed George.

He got up "Urien!" he called.

Urien came "What is it?"

"You know about these?"

"No."

"Was George here earlier?"

"Yes. He went to your room for a few moments."

So that was it. They did not want him anywhere near Roxanne...

He wanted to talk to her, explain to her... But there was only one thing that she wanted from him, and that he could not do. He could not love her as she wanted him to...

Maybe it was better if he let Julia, George, Megan, and Angelique handle it.

Still, he kept thinking of her, locked in that coffin. Just as his father had locked him.

* * *

Roxanne did not precisely liked listening to Derek, but she had no way of making him leave the room, no way of leaving the room herself. No way to make him stop talking. So she listened.

"And you say that you worked for Brant?" she said sourly "Did you also warm his bed?"

"Why would I do that?"

"You mean that he'd pass up a delightful morsel like you?"

Derek blushed "Miss Drew." he said, trying to sound dignified "I understand that you are not in a very comfortable position, but still that does not give you the right to be abusive. Not to people who only want to help you."

"Help me how? Keeping me locked here?'

"We had to keep you from killing Sheriff Brant. You forced this on us."

"I had to do it."

"No, you did not. I don't understand how you can talk of killing that way, how you seem to relish it. I did kill one man. Everybody says that it was justified, that it was a brave action... But I did not enjoy it."

"You killed someone?"

'He was an informer. It was him or us... Sebastian... "

"His name was Sebastian?"

"Yes, Sebastian Shaw. He was a psychic... He had come to town with your counterpart. Another Roxanne Drew..."

The whole story of Roxanne Drew and Sebastian Shaw poured out of him. He had to. share his nightmares to someone who would try to soothe him, and get him to forget about them..

"I did not enjoy killing either." Roxanne said when he was finished. "But the choice was not mine. It was them or us... I endured it for the sake of meeting Barnabas again."

"I know. You put all your hopes in one person... and that never works. You need to find better hopes."

"What better hopes?"

"You could come live with us in the egg."

"A place straight out of fairy tale?"

"A very dark fairy tale. And with people who need a lot of things. Why not try it? You have already lost Barnabas. This is something to do with your life."

"It is more than the fact that I lost him. It is the principle of the thing."

"Lord preserve us! You are one of those, then. As if we did not have enough troubles already. I never could understand you, principled types. You never seem to know what is really important."

"What is it that you call important? Making some bit of money with your grubby petty schemes, only to lose it on the horses?

"Why not? it does less damage in the end that you highly idealistic people do. You don't see people like us leading political or religious movements. When we swindle it is only money, not the things that matter. And for all you know, we may be providing a service, teaching people to beware of appearances. Anybody who lost money to me probably learned enough distrust to keep away from places like Jonestown."

"And that's all there is to life, to you?"

"I do not know if it is. But I am not rushing into anything and creating a disaster in the process.. And now there is something more for me. a chance to put to good use all I have learned. And it can be a chance for you too."

"In the egg?"

"Why not? With your skills, you could be invaluable . You have talent for organizing. You are a teacher. Think about a whole illiterate population who has never had a proper Civics class, who has only functioned under a predatory, authoritarian government, and does not yet understand that they have rights. Think of the opportunity. Think of all that you can accomplish there. Are you going to throw it away because Barnabas is not who you expected him to be?'

"Still, he is a vampire, same as I."

'You won't be a vampire any longer. You are going to be cured. As I was cured."

"Were you a vampire too, once?"

* * *

"Well, Carolyn, are you going to do what I told you." Megan repeated after helping Carolyn get up.

"I hate you!" Carolyn hissed.

"Yes, you do. but you will do as you are told... And did you do so badly when you followed my advice the first time?"

"You did not give me advice, you commanded me! You forced your will on me!"

"Unfortunately, this is the only way you listen. Make sure that Roger keeps his appointment with any therapist you choose. Make sure that he takes his meds regularly. And make sure to check on him, and stop making excuses. for him. That song and dance that rich people are merely eccentric while others are crazy does not work. Not when your eccentric uncle is planning murder on a daily basis."

* * *

A wartime romance., Roxanne thought,, .. that's what Derek had called it before he had had to leave. What she had had with Barnabas had been a wartime romance, It had been very intense, as wartimes romances are. But they are not meant to last. They were based on passion and on blindness on who the other person was...

She thought again of what Derek had told her about himself. In spite of herself she had found herself fascinated by it. The con games, the horse betting, and then the chance to be heroic. And he had done it without fuss. Providing the life force for Xavier Davenport and being cured of vampirism as a side effect... his seeking for treasure, not knowing what kind of trouble he was getting t. His decision to kill Sebastian Shaw...

She thought that she might want to know Derek better.

* * *

"The Board of Trustees will come to order." Megan said."

Board of Trustees, George thought. Yet, they were a Board of Trustees. What would have Dave thought of it? he had had a run with a Board of Trustees at the hospital once. It had soured him on Boards of trustees since. he had recited a little ditty afterwards "We have the rope, we have the trees. All that we need is the Board of Trustees."

He smiled at the thought. If Dave could see him being a member of a Board of Trustees...

But they had to be there. They had a responsibility to fulfill. And too many pitfalls.

Howard was there, with Frances. So was Patterson, beaming because he would be again in charge of law and order in a community.. And Derek who came limping. He would limp for the rest of his life. Barnabas, Angelique, Megan, Zeb, Jessica, Amy...

* * *

"Roxanne."

It was the blond man again. And she could see through him...

"Sebastian." she said. It had to be Sebastian Shaw, the one who had loved the other Roxanne.

And he thought that she was that other Roxanne.

"I am not angry with you, Sebastian." she said.

"You've forgiven me?"

"Yes. I forgive you"

He smiled, beaming with happiness. She was back, Roxanne was back.

"I need help, Sebastian."

"Say whatever it is, and I will do it."

"This talisman over my heart. It won't let me get up. Angelique put it there."

"Angelique again...I should have killed her.."

He tried to take the talisman away, but his fingers could not close on it."

"I can't" he said. "I cannot even touch it."

"I need hands. Go find someone else's hands."

Sebastian vanished.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Making papers for those who can leave is the easy part." Megan said. "I can have them done in days as soon as you give me the list of people applying for them."

"But the question is how ready they are going to be. Adjusting to a new, strange world is not easy. I should know." Barnabas said. "And what I learned from organizations who work with refugees, about the potential pitfalls, is daunting. They can run afoul of their neighbors sensibilities quite early. Some Cambodian refugees started killing and eating squirrels in the park until they had to be convinced not to. Not to mention cats and dogs - it was hushed up and they were told how dangerous it was for them if their neighbors found out. So, getting them ready to leave may take some work."

"That's what I intend to do." Derek said. "I can teach them all that. Just teaching them English is not enough."

"In the meantime, we have to make the egg livable" Howard interjected. "As you say, they may stay there a long time until they are ready. And some of them might never be. We need many things."

"We need medical supplies." Frances said. "Petofi used his power to keep most sicknesses at bay, but we have to use antibiotics and other medicines."

"We can arrange for that."

"I want to train many as nurses aides, and that would ease the load. And the ones I trained might be able find work outside if they want to leave the egg. At the moment we do not have nothing major, but we want to be able to admit them to the hospital if there is need."

"I have hospital privileges," Zeb said " and so does Jessica. With Julia and Kenneth's cooperation getting them into the hospital will be easy."

"They also need to be fed. We cannot keep going to McDonald's to feed them. " Howard added. "We need seeds, seeds that are resistant to disease . We do not need fertilizers. Sanitary arrangements being what they are, we have plenty of the natural stuff if you do not get squeamish.. We may have to restock the cattle. Too many of them got slaughtered because they could not be fed."

"Just put a ban on slaughtering until the stock replenishes itself, and we will provide them with hay and grain." Angelique said. The logistics of transporting cattle into the egg did not appeal to her.

"What about chickens?" Jessica asked. "We can get them as eggs."

"No," said Howard "We need hens to teach the chicks how to fend for themselves, and how to take care of _their_ chicks. We are not talking about incubator conditions there. We want hens who can sit on the eggs."

"How is the literacy campaign going?" George asked. That was his opening.

"Advancing" Frances said. "But as with everything, not enough teachers... Maybe Vicky would be willing to give classes there, or someone trained by her."

"We got a teacher, if you are willing to take her." George said. "She may need some convincing. But she needs a place to go to, and a chance to start a new life. Her story is a bit like Howard's.."

* * *

What had the other Roxanne been like? How similar had he been to her? How different? People could be very different between realities, that much had Barnabas told her.

And yet... The other Roxanne could have been her if her choices had been different... Or had their choices been that different? They both had to face hard, cruel realities, from what Derek had told her.

And Sebastian? He was an informer. Derek had been right to kill him. How could the other Roxanne had loved someone like that? She would never lower herself that way...

Unless...

No, she would never love someone like Sebastian, even though she might find a use for him.

On the other hand, Julia could cure her. And that might make things easier for her. At least, if she was not a vampire that bitch Megan could not order her around, telling her what to do and not to do...

And Derek was good looking... and a hero...

* * *

George felt uneasy. The measures they had talked about seemed sensible and yet.. And yet he had the impression that Howard wanted too much for Egg City to be self sufficient. Then, people would have less of a reason to leave.

All the services would be concentrated on the persons of Howard, Frances, Derek and George Patterson. Frances was married to Howard and would be loyal to him. The implications of the situation probably escaped Patterson. Derek suspected what might happen but he had no one to back him up...

Unless Roxanne joined them and backed Derek up...

* * *

Iris sat in her room, staring at the walls, drowning in grief and guilt...

The vacuum that she created in herself kept attracting spirits, spirits who yearned for a body to possess...

And Sebastian had been attracted to her. Here was a body. Here were the hands that Roxanne needed.

He let the vacuum guide him to the core of Iris, he let his essence fill her. And then took control of her body.

* * *

"You make it sound quite attractive" Roxanne said to Howard.

"Only attractive? It is the opportunity of a lifetime, and you know it. You can really make a difference down there. You can be in charge of the whole Department of Education. You'd have the chance to build and see things go up, instead of living in constant destruction, The chance to live, instead of merely endure.

Roxanne felt stirred by his words. Between him a Derek they painted a whole world that she wanted to be part of.. And Barnabas... what could Barnabas offer her, really?

She could understand Howard so much. There was so much that they could share. He would understand what she had done, what she had been forced to do. He would have fought alongside them willingly, would have made the tough decisions, would have carried them out without argument...

Barnabas had only been a fantasy...

Too bad that Howard was married...

* * *

Iris could not understand this stranger inside her, now what did he want.

It was not Violet... had nothing to do with Violet...

And yet it wanted something out of her. Wanted her to go to see Angelique...

Why Angelique? What sense did it make?

* * *

Roxanne was alone again, thinking of the new life that Derek and Howard had offered her. It could be hers. All she had to do was to cooperate, and let Julia treat her.

And letting Barnabas go. And leaving George alone...

George still made her angry. She still wanted to kill him.

But was it worth it?

She thought of Sebastian. He had not retuned. Well, good riddance. A most ineffectual type, and an informer, to boot.

The other Roxanne had to have been crazy to have loved him.

* * *

Angelique saw Iris come and greeted her.

"Come to check this ex-girlfriend, too? Maybe Julia is right and we could form a bridge club."

Iris smiled but said nothing. She moved towards the door.. She looked at Angelique..

...the betrayer, the murderess... the one who had made Roxanne suffer...

She should pay.

Iris knew that those were not her thoughts, nor her feelings. But they burned through her...

Angelique had turned her back on her, checking on something that she was writing...

Iris hit her hard over the head. Angelique fell on the floor without even screaming.

Sebastian, from within Iris wanted to exult, and also to put his hands on Angelique's neck and crush her windpipe, to pay her back for Roxie. But not yet. He had to free Roxie first.

Let Roxie herself decide what to do with Angelique. It was her right.

He stared at the coffin.

"You!" Roxanne hissed "I killed you!" Then she recalled. It was the other Iris that she had executed. This one had never been an informer...

"It is me, Sebastian." Sebastian made Iris say. "I am using this body. I have hands now, see?" he bent down and took off the paralyzing amulet.

"Angelique..." Roxanne said as she stepped out of her coffin.

"She's unconscious. You can decide what to do with her."

It was a good to be free...

She could kill Angelique now, as Sebastian suggested. And George Brant too...

Only that she would not find pleasure in it now. She had killed before, but it was needed. Now there was no need...

She had forgotten what normal life was like. What it was not having to kill... The way that life was meant to be lived...

And Sebastian... she did not like Sebastian at all.

Still, she _was_ free.

She knelt by the unconscious Angelique. She was pregnant with George's child, that much she had learned. If anything happened to her...

At least she was alive, and breathing normally. The blow had not been so hard.

She felt revulsion Death and destruction, They kept dogging her, even as she now had a chance to leave it behind...

And Sebastian? He could not be allowed to run loose. He would go on causing more and more trouble in his attempts to please her. She _had_ to keep an eye on him, just in case. She had to find a way to send him back...

"Get me a phone." she said to Sebastian.

"What for?"

"I want to call an ambulance for her."

"For her? let her die. She deserves it."

"She's pregnant."

"So?"

"It is... bad luck if she should die now. Better call the ambulance."

Sebastian pouted but let her do. Iris was glad to comply. She did not understand why she had to hurt Angelique, but calling an ambulance reassured her.

If only she could figure out what this meant, and if Violet had anything to do with this...

What was to be done with Sebastian? Roxanne pondered it, and realized that like it or not, she had been stuck with that... informer.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Have you talked with her?" Barnabas asked George.

"No. She may get angry again if she sees me."

"And they have forbidden me to approach her." there was a bit of a complaint in Barnabas' voice.

"Well... you do tend to say the wrong thing. And we are trying to make her more reasonable. Derek says that she sounded interested in the egg. And Julia says that she responds to treatment."

"So Julia finally can try her treatment on someone. I became immune to it, while neither Richard, nor Megan, nor Derek wanted it, for reasons of their own."

"Well, Richard had a lot more baggage to deal with, and that had priority for him. As for Megan, with all that she knows of other vampires, if she ever stopped being one she would be seen as a threat and they would kill her. Derek never learned much about them, so they have no desire to silence him, but her..."

"In any case, Julia has finally got a patient, and one who cannot get away from her."

It was then that the phone rang. Barnabas picked it up.

"It is for you, " he said. "Deputy Hamell."

George picked it up, and his face darkened."

"What happened?"

"Angelique is in the hospital. And Roxanne is gone."

* * *

How does one handle a ghost? She had not stopped to wonder about it. It had never been a problem for her to lose sleep over. The only ghost she had to deal with was Will Loomis with his eternal typewriter, and he was friendly enough. And she had enough troublemakers of solid flesh around her to worry about the immaterial kind.

But now she was stuck with Sebastian. And also with Iris, who was evidently trying to regain control of her body, and also trying to make sense of what was happening.

She had to keep Sebastian under control, keep him from making more trouble.

And maybe she should summon the other Roxanne, to see if _she_ could figure out what to do with him.

* * *

George Brant paced the hospital. Damn it, how could this have happened? They had assured him that Roxanne could not get away. Only she had just done son.

And Angelique was unconscious still. How bad was it:? What about the child?

He was going to find Roxanne before she went into a killing spree. And he'd make sure there were silver bullets in his gun.

* * *

"She escaped." Willie said fearfully.

"Who escaped?" Louella asked.

"Roxanne Drew. She brained Angelique and is probably looking for revenge, right this instant. And I helped chain her in her coffin. She's going to come after me, I know.

"How could she? She did not see you do it."

"She can find out. They could have told her..."

"She does not know what you look like."

"She does. There was an William Loomis where she came from, and she knew him. I tell you, she's going to come and get even with me for helping Angelique."

"Calm down, Willie."

"Calm down! How can I calm down? She's a killer, they told us. She'd sooner kill you as greet you."

"I suspect that you are rather low on her list. She will first go to George, to Bananas, to Julia, and to Megan. Only after she has dealt with all of them she'll worry about you. And they are more likely to stop her before that."

* * *

"Sebastian" Roxanne spoke softly to him. "this body that you are ... using is no good."

"What do you mean, not good?"

"I want to take you in my arms, to make love to you. But how can I do it when you are in a woman's body.?"

'Huh?" the thought had not evidently occurred to Sebastian.

"You want it to be the way it was, don't you?"

"Yes."

"So you'll have to find another body."

He hesitated "What about her?" he asked, meaning Iris.

"I will hypnotize her into forgetting all about it."

There was a ripple moving behind Iris' eyes. She was still fighting for control of her body. What was happening? Who was this woman? Did it have anything to do with Violet?:"

There were no answers. Instead Sebastian made her body move, out to look for a male body to inhabit. She followed him to make sure that he did not get into trouble.

And found herself face to face with George Brant.

Brant had been told that someone looking like Roxanne had been seen in this place, and he was hunting her, with silver bullets in his gun. He had not told anyone about the silver bullets. He could explain it later to Barnabas, and make him accept what he had done. But he would not allow a cold blooded killer to remain loose.

Angelique was already in the hospital and he owed protection to Buffy and her family, and to Julia too. Angelique had thought that Roxanne could be spared, and she had been wrong.

Roxanne faced him, not sure what to do.

Sebastian acted. He was in Iris' body, looking confused, George did not think Iris to be a threat...

"I am glad to see you, sheriff."

"So am I." he lifted his gun. "You will not hurt anyone else."

Sebastian hit him from behind.. making him fall down. Roxanne jumped and took his gun away.

"What did you do with my child?" he asked

"It does not matter." Sebastian said., lifting the gun he had taken from him. "You will not hurt Roxie again, ever."

"No!" Roxanne said. "Do not hurt him!:"

"But he tried to kill you."

"He is what we want. A male body for you. A body that you can use to love me."

"He's too strong. He won't let me take over."

"I can take care of that. As I will take care to make her forget."

Sebastian would possess George, and then would be too busy to get into more trouble. She would put Iris under, in theory to make her forget, but in reality to make her go to Julia and Megan and tell them to contact the other Roxanne to handle Sebastian...

* * *

Barnabas and Megan met at Angelique's bedside.

"I am sorry." Barnabas said.

"For what? It was not you who brained her."

"But I am the one who made Roxanne mad."

"You are not the only one who bears blame for it. Angelique has so many guilt feelings about that other Roxanne, that she lowered her guard with this one. Don't be so damn self-centered."

"What if Roxanne comes for her again?

"Then she will deal with me. I warned her and she chose to disregard my warning."

Julia came by.

"George is gone" she said. "he went looking for Roxanne. "

"He thinks that he can take her on?" Megan growled. "That's it. I will have to look for him. You stand guard by her." she told Barnabas. "I am going to see if I can keep George from getting killed."

"I do not think that Roxanne..." Julia said.

"What is it with her?"

"I think that she wants what we can offer her. I think that she was being tempted to go to Egg City."

"Probably the story that she told Angelique, and see how it turned out."

"Then who called the ambulance for Angelique? If she was all alone with her, why not just let her die?: I think that she is changing. Maybe she did not mean to hit Angelique so hard."

It was then that Iris came in.

"It is about George, and Roxanne.."

"You know where they are?"

"It is Sebastian Shaw. He possessed me and is now possessing George. She is keeping him busy. She said to call on the other Roxanne for help."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Was it good for you?" Sebastian asked anxiously.

"Yes, it was very good." Roxanne reassured him.

"It has been so long since the last time."

"Yes, it has been long."

"I was afraid that I had forgotten it... and this body is not accustomed to women... But I did all right, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

Roxanne was more than a bit irritated with him. It he had been like that, how had he managed to live so long? Derek deserved a medal for killing him. How come the other Roxanne had loved him? Did she go for pathetic cases?

She wondered about George Brant, forced to allow Sebastian to use his body this way. Well, he deserved it for taking Barnabas from her...

After all, if he was good enough for Barnabas, he was good enough for Barnabas' discarded girlfriends. And it would not be the first time for him. How else had he gotten Angelique pregnant?

She felt hungry. She could always use George for that, but somehow that did not tempt her so much.

She was now craving more solid food.

* * *

"So it is not Roxanne" Barnabas said with relief. There was now no talk of killing her, only of dealing with Sebastian's ghost. "I am glad that it is not her. She was such a sweet girl when I met her..."

"Barnabas" Megan did not hide her irritation. "Cut the reminiscing. We do not care to listen to another chapter of your autobiography. All you have to do is to complete the circle for the séance. You must sit down and shut up. Can you manage that?"

Barnabas obeyed her. He knew better than to argue with Megan when she was in this mood.

The light was dimmed and Amy joined them at the table. She would be the medium. She took the hands offered to her and began her trance.

"Death!" she shouted "Death and fire!"

"Roxanne" Barnabas pleaded. "I know that we have hurt you, but we need help. Sebastian needs help."

"The fire... the fire... The fire and the jewels. And her... Butter would not melt in her mouth... she deceived you."

"Roxanne, please..."

"This is not Roxanne" Megan said quickly. "Who are you? What is your name?"

"Loomis. Robert Loomis."

"Return to whence you came, Loomis. It is not you whose help we ask."

"I must speak! She did this to me! I will tell you of the fire!"

"Begone!" Megan said, imperiously "Trouble us not tonight. Return to whence you came!"

"I shall return!"

"Return, but not tonight. Begone!"

There was a silence. After a couple of minutes had passed, Megan spoke again.

"He's gone. We can proceed."

"Should we wait to try again?"

"We don't know for how long Sebastian will say put, and the longer it takes, the worse it is for George. It is his body that Sebastian is using to make love to Roxanne."

Barnabas' face darkened. "Yes, better go ahead. Let's hope that you got rid of Loomis for today."

"Yes. He might be back, but not now. Let us try for Roxanne."

"Roxanne." Megan called "Roxanne Drew, please come to us. We need you."

Amy threw her head back, a deep sound forming in her throat.

"Roxanne?" Megan insisted.

"Yes. I am here." Roxanne's voice sounded clearly "Why do you disturb me?"

"Sebastian is looking for you.. He has found someone that he thinks it is you, but she is not."

"Sebastian..."

"He's dead, but does not seem to fully realize it... He's met another Roxanne Drew... She's like you, but she is not you. He thinks that she is you..."

Roxanne gave off a very unghostly snort "What is this nonsense?"

"It is not nonsense. At this moment Sebastian is possessing a man's body and is using it to have sex with the other Roxanne. She is trying to keep him busy that way."

"How did Sebastian come to die? When I... left him he was young and strong. He had many years ahead of him."

"He was killed."

"Who killed him?"

"He brought it on himself. They were all taken prisoner by a magician. They plotted to escape. Sebastian, instead, chose to become an informer. He died of it."

"An informer." There was sadness in Roxanne's voice, and her anger abated. She knew the rules that condemned informers to death "Poor Sebastian. He had no one to keep him in the straight and narrow."

"He's very confused now. He's looking for you, but he cannot find you, and now he found this other Roxanne."

"He could have made a new life for himself without me. But it was not meat to be. I will go to see what I can do."

* * *

Roxanne was, if not exhausted, a bit fed up with the whole thing. Sebastian was not bad in bed, but his conversation left quite a bit to be desired. She gritted her teeth. How had the other Roxanne stood it? Maybe that was the reason why she became a drug addict. A few more days of Sebastian's company and she'd be tempted to try the stuff herself.

"It will be all right, now, won't it?" Sebastian asked her.

"Yes, it will be."

"And you will never leave me. And no one will kill you this time. And it will be as it once was, and.."

"Yes." Roxanne said, with all the self-control that she could muster "just as it once was."

"Do you want me to punish Angelique for what she did to you?'

"Angelique?" Roxanne had all but forgotten about her. In her own Universe all she knew of Angelique was that Stokes had used her own life-force to bring her back. In this Universe, she was supposed to hate her, even though this one had done her not harm, unless you counted helping keep her prisoner.

Evidently the other Roxanne had reason to hate Angelique. And she was supposed to be that Roxanne for Sebastian...

"I will have to think about it." she said "Anyway, you hit her hard enough. She may never come out of a coma."

"You think that it is enough?

"Should be. After all, there is more to enjoy in life than mere revenge."

"There is?"

"Of course, there is, dear Sebastian. There are so many things to do, so many places to see. Why should we stick around, robbing ourselves of those opportunities? What should be the point in denying ourselves, just to get even with some twerp? Even been to Egypt?"

"No, I have never been outside the U.S.A."

"Maybe it is time than we went on a trip abroad. We could go see Greece, and all those other places."

"Hmm..." Sebastian considered it.

Roxanne wondered what made her say those things. Traveling abroad with Sebastian was the last thing she wanted. All she wanted was to get rid of him, one way or another. If Julia and the others did not get there soon, she'd start looking for an exorcist. She did not wish to be stuck with Sebastian forever.

"Yes, we'll go on a trip, just the two of us." Sebastian said, with childish glee.

"Yes, Sebastian. A long trip."

"Just you and me. The way it used to be."

Roxanne shuddered. What was she letting herself into? What it would be like to be shut inside the same ship cabin with him for weeks on end? It could drive anyone to murder.

"We need to make plans." she said.

"Yes. We need to."

"Sebastian... Sebastian..."

It was a new voice. Someone else was with them. Someone who sounded very much like Roxanne."

It was Roxanne. The other Roxanne. The living Roxanne gasped at the vision she presented. It was seeing herself, the way she could have been. What she might yet be...

"You." the ghostly Roxanne said "You... you are me, aren't you?"

"Yes. I am what you might have been. As you are what I might become, what I might yet become..."

Sebastian looked at both of them dumbfounded. "But which one... which one of you..?"

"We are both the real one." the ghostly Roxanne said. "But it is me that you seek."

"She is right." the living Roxanne added. "It is not with me that your fate lies. Go with her."

"You sought me and did not find me. Instead you found her. But she can't offer you what I can."

"We are so much alike, you and I."

"Yes." the ghostly Roxanne said "We are both vampires. We have both led a harsh life which demanded unpleasant decisions from us. And we both knew Barnabas Collins, and loved him. But he was not worthy of our love."

"Did Barnabas made you a vampire?"

"Indirectly. He started it, and Angelique finished it."

"I tricked him into it. I needed the power that came with it, so that we could strike back to our enemies. We won that fight at last, and I came looking for him, hoping that he would have waited for me. Only he didn't."

She told more about her enemies, and why they had forced such a choice on her.

"Yes. We are very much alike, you and I." the ghostly Roxanne agreed. "Our fates were not that different. Except for one thing. You have been given another chance. Make the most of it."

"What about you? Will it be all right with you?'

"It will be, when I have helped correct the wrongs that I have done. I created vampires whom I then condemned to slavery. I have to set them free before I am free myself. And Sebastian can help me do it. I will show him the way."

George's body shook. Then he was himself again. And Sebastian stood by his side, looking at Roxanne.

The two of them glowed for a moment, then vanished..


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"I am sorry I caused so much trouble." Roxanne said to Julia and George. "I was pigheaded."

"I am sorry that I barged in with my gun, ready to kill you."

"You thought that I had hurt Angelique. I can understand that. How is she?"

"She has recovered consciousness, and the baby is all right too."

"It was Sebastian who hit her, while in Iris' body. Angelique did not mistrust her and let her get close."

"Yes. And you called for the ambulance for her. I should have asked who did..."

"Again, I am sorry to have caused so much trouble."

"You had a nasty shock." Julia said sympathetically "You had to face up to Barnabas as he really is, not as you wished him to be And you also have yet to learn how to adjust to peacetime conditions. After what you went through, you probably thought it would be a snap, but it is not It is tough."

"Yes. I realize now how hard it is. Back then you think in black and white. It was not. But your chances of being alive went up if you thought it was. The margin for error is small and the penalties are great. You do not make allowances for weakness, nor in others, not in yourself."

"And now you need to be able to. And you do not wholly remember how it is done."

"At least I know that it is possible."

"Yes, it is."

"Dr. Blair tried to tell me that, before I left. He said that things would be tougher for me than I imagined. He knew what he was talking about. But I just thought that he was soft. He could never accept the killing. He did it because he had to, but he never forgave himself for it."

"Barnabas said something about him. That he had a guilty secret that he would not share with him."

"I know what it was. It was this half-wit. There was no harm in her, but she learned too much, and she had to be silenced before she said more than she should. Dr. Blair knew how to make it look like a natural death, and gave the drug to Quentin. It was quick, it was effective, and we were safe."

"But still, it was wrong, and he knew it."

"He had no other choice."

"No, I guess he had not."

"Well," Roxanne shook her head, banishing those uncomfortable thoughts. "What about my condition, doctor? I find myself hungry for more solid food than what I have become accustomed to. Suddenly fruit looks good to me."

"That means that you are improving at an accelerated rate."

"You mean that I won't be a vampire much longer?'

"Exactly. Welcome back to normality."

"How come Megan and Barnabas did not go back to normality?"

"Barnabas became immune to it. And Megan... Megan first did not want to become a guinea pig. And now she knows too much about other vampires. Vampires tend to be on the paranoid side, and if she became normal, given what she knows, they would kill her."

"Pity. She could have what I am going to have."

* * *

"I feel like a fool" Willie confessed. "panicking like that when I heard that Roxanne was on the loose again. But I did not know what she would do. They had described her as a ruthless killer and all that. Who knew who she'd get into her head to kill next."

Louella could not help being amused by Willie's behavior. "Well, nothing happened, ad we can be thankful for that. They say now that she's a very sensible woman, willing to cooperate with Julia and all that. Seems that it will be a while before we get the whole story, if we ever do."

"Yes, first a ruthless killer, then a sensible woman. Makes you wonder what you can believe these days."

"In any case, you are safe now."

She knew what really bothered Willie, but knew better than to say it aloud. Willie was ashamed of what he saw as his cowardice when Vassily Petofi had kidnapped Barnabas and the others. Never mind that there was nothing that he could have done. He had not even tried, and he condemned himself for it.

And now, there had been another chance to show what a coward he was.

Willie was being too hard on himself, and she wished that she could help him see it. No one expected miracles from him. And his first loyalties should now be to his wife and daughter.

"It is all right, Willie" she said. "the whole thing is over."

"Yes, it is. but..." he sighed. "I wish I had not been such a scaredy cat about it."

* * *

"So you got to have sex with Roxanne? Angelique asked George, amused.

"Yes. In conditions guaranteed to make me thoroughly disgusted with it. I don't blame Roxanne. She had to make sure that Sebastian did not got anywhere, while Iris contacted Julia.

"It is just that you wish she had chosen another way, instead of renting your body out to Sebastian."

"Yes, that's the point. It was not me, it was Sebastian. I was just the tool they used to make it possible. What I felt or thought was irrelevant. It was even worse than what Petofi did. At least there I had a choice."

"Some choice. Be whipped to a bloody pulp if you failed."

"Well, it was a choice of sorts."

"In any case, you ended up going to be with two of Barnabas' former girlfriends. Who knows, maybe you'd get to bed Josette, or Maggie, or Vicky..."

"Perish the thought. If I had any inclinations towards heterosexuality, they are gone now... And really the thought of going to bed with Maggie depresses me. I think that it even depresses Barnabas. There is something gone too wrong between them."

"Maggie got addicted to having power over Barnabas, and he got over it. So now Maggie is basically going through cold turkey. Power can be a very addictive drug."

"There is always Josette and Vicky. And Rachel, too." Angelique said playfully. "I could arrange for it."

George gave her a sour look. "Do that, and I will forget that you are carrying my child."

* * *

What will happen to Angelique's baby? Who will raise him? Will Roger's presence be a strain to Adam's marriage to Carolyn? Will Iris continue attracting unhappy spirits to her? Will Roxanne marry Derek, and what will her presence mean in the interanl politics of Egg City?


End file.
